A/N: Apologies, my lovelies, for the time between drinks. Had a bit of trouble moving the ladies along. Good news is I've nearly wrapped up my other project so there's hope on the horizon for a bit of quick movement here once it's all posted and done. In the meantime, please accept my apologies for not updating with a bit more regularity.

For disclaimer, see chapter 1.

-0-

Dinner had been a lively affair and Andy had managed to cajole the girls and Miranda into playing a few rounds of Jenga with her before they left. It had tickled them all, no end, when they'd realised that Miranda; the monopoly queen, was rather quite crap at Jenga.

The following day, in true form, Caroline had written the most backhanded apology, disguised as an actual apology and sent it into the school with Cassidy. Miranda had sent a picture of it to Andy that night after Caroline's English teacher had sent it to her and Andy had laughed into her wine glass while she dialled up Miranda's number.

"She is more and more like you every day," Andy chuckled as the phone was picked up.

Miranda hummed but Andy could feel the smugness through the phone line.

"I cannot say I am displeased," Miranda mused.

"I bet you're not," Andy grinned. "Did you watch that show yet?"

"Andréa, when I am going to have time to watch a series."

She'd said it like she'd found it under her Louboutins and Andy chuckled as she settled lethargically on her bed.

"One show a night! They're only an hour."

"I'm far too busy."

"Says the woman who's calendar I run."

"Cheeky," Miranda muttered. "What have we got on, tomorrow evening? James called and offered to take them to a movie premiere. I'm not even sure of the movie but they seemed keen."

"I bet they were," Andy rolled her eyes. "And quick segue?"

"Mmm?"

"Leave them here with me, when you're in Milan next month. If he's away and Cara already has time off, no sense rocking the boat?"

"Andréa -"

"Just a thought," she shrugged. "We can hang out, shop, go to the movies, whatever."

There was a long, protracted silence on the other end of the phone and Andy actually took her ear off the phone to check Miranda hadn't hung up.

"Unless," she drew it out carefully. "You hate the idea?"

"Andrea," she whispered. "If you continue to make yourself indispensable, I will never be able to let you leave."

"Ah," Andy said dramatically. "You haz foiled my dastardly plan. Mon Dieu!"

"Did you take dramatic arts in school?"

"I confess, I did," Andy laughed. "Wasn't very good at it."

"Hmm, no comment," Miranda chuckled, so quietly, she obviously was trying not to. "Andréa. Having the twins over for a sleepover is one thing. Taking them to a Japanese art shop is another. Staying with them, in your own space for eight days is," there was a slow sigh on the other end. "Quite another thing entirely."

"Not really," Andy shrugged again. "I know them. They know me. We know where we stand. I know what you expect. I know who to call in case of an emergency."

"Ah," Miranda muttered. "I have been meaning to mention that."

"What?"

"I made you their secondary medical contact."

"Me?"

"Yes," Miranda said awkwardly. "With James acting as he is, I could not take the risk that nobody would answer a call." She paused again and Andy smiled, feeling a little ball of happiness in her belly. "I know you would, Andréa."

"You are not wrong."

"Good. Good."

"You could have told me," Andy whispered. "It would have been okay."

"Well, it's done now. I -"

"When did you do that?"

"When?" she asked again as if she hadn't heard the question over the din of whisper-quiet HVAC units in her Townhouse. "Um. Well."

"Miranda," Andy teased.

"Maybe the weekend after we returned from Paris."

"What!"

"It was eye-opening to learn that you already knew Cassidy and you were making plans to get to know Caroline. James had been fighting with them about their friends. It seemed," Andy imagined Miranda shrugging nonchalantly. "Logical."

"You, Miranda Priestly, are the dark horse, not me."

"I do try to be," she chuckled.

"You never answered me about the Twins?"

"Of course they may stay with you. I would prefer it over any other solution I have come up with, except I know them. You will receive their family manners, I shouldn't wonder, and I -"

"Miranda?" Andy said gently. "I've been on the receiving end of the family manners for quite some time."

"True," Miranda chuckled. Only yesterday, after dinner, Cassidy had snapped at Andy for insisting she cleared her plate from the table and put it in the dishwasher. Andy, in a lesson she'd learnt from Cassidy's own mother, had arched her eyebrow and stared. Cassidy had huffed until she saw Andy's face, then apologised rather quickly and not only loaded her own rushes, but that of Miranda's as well.

"So, back to your calendar. Dinner with Donatella."

"Oh, that's right," Miranda mused. "Perfect. He can take them for the evening."

"What time?"

"He said five, but it will most likely be earlier. He thinks he's exerting his dominance by catching me off guard."

"Well, you'll be at Philipe's so that won't matter. And we can't put it off anymore, we've rescheduled on him twice."

"Bother."

Andy smiled into the phone and heard Miranda's soft snort.

"Stop smiling."

"Yes boss," she said as sternly as she could. "Right away."

"You're incorrigible."

"I have been told that, yes," Andy grinned. "So. Imma go."

"Andréa -" Miranda huffed, making Andy's smile wider.

"And I shall see you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning."

"Fine," Miranda huffed. "And you will undoubtedly be bright-eyed, won't you. How annoying."

"I'll be extra sparkly tomorrow," Andy teased. "Just for you."

"Brilliant," Miranda huffed. "Goodnight, Andréa."

"'Night Miranda."

-0-

The day went off without a hitch. Andy continued collecting dirt on Irv and making coffee and organising schedules and all the other things she needed to do in a day before she was summoned into the office at about three.

"Yesss?"

"You are so cavalier," Miranda frowned.

"Want me to do it again?"

The frown deepened and Andy held out her hands.

"I surrender. What can I do for you?"

"The twins have requested your presence before they leave with their father. Apparently there is something so urgent it cannot possibly wait until the morning.

"Sure," Andy shrugged. "Want me to see them off?"

"Would you?" Miranda asked. "I know that Cara is perfectly satisfactory, however, I would feel a little better if you were there."

"Then that is where I shall be. I'll reroute the phones etc, but otherwise, you may have to deal with your own visitors."

"If you make sure to lock all your effects away, it shall not be as stressful an occasion."

"Well, alright then."

Andy did what she had to do, locking her desk, shredding what needed to be done and reminding Miranda to do the same when she left. The look she gave made her wince and she exited the building at a quick clip.

-0-

"ANDY!"

"Oof," Andy grunted as two gangly teens slammed into her middle.

"Girls," Cara said from the kitchen door. "Be careful."

Andy waved her off with a smile and looked down at the twin terrors.

"What was so urgent that you couldn't possibly have told me when you got back?"

"We wanted to say goodbye!"

"Why, are you leaving forever?"

"No," Caroline rolled her eyes. "We said goodbye to Mom already, but we didn't see you, so," she shrugged. "Bye."

"You silly things," she chuckled, hugging them tightly. "You're only going for one night!"

'Yeah, but we haven't been gone for a while, so," Cassidy blushed. "Just wanted to, I guess."

"Well, thank you," Andy smiled. "Did your Mom tell you about Milan?"

"YES!" Cassidy yelled, almost colliding with Andy's chin! "She said you were going to take us shopping? And to the movies and -"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Andy chuckled, smiling as Caroline leaned into her side quietly. "Slow your roll, little'n." Even Caroline laughed. "We will get to do all of those things, but you're also at school so we'll have to plan around that."

"We get out at lunch on Wednesdays, though!"

"I know you do," Andy chuckled, charmed at how excited they were. "And we'll figure out what we're doing closer to, alright?"

"But it's so close now!"

"I know," Andy soothed Cassidy's excitement. "But you're on your way out and it's not the time to get into it."

The doorbell rang and Cara answered it, calling to the girls that their Dad was here.

"He's always early," Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Maybe he just wants to see you?"

"No," she huffed. "He just wants to shout at Mom."

"Well," Andy whispered as Cassidy greeted him in the hall. "She's not here, is she." She winked and made Caroline smile, walking with her out of the door.

"Oh," James said with a sneer. "She's not here, of course."

"Sorry?" Andy asked, making it clear that she was not at all. She absently remembered a time when Miranda had used that same expression.

"She's off working, then? Typical. Can't even say goodbye to her own children."

"Dad -" Cassidy started.

"Leave it," Andy smiled at her. "It doesn't matter."

"I'll thank you not to talk to my children like that?"

Andy stared at him, one part perplexed and another borderline annoyed at the vitriol he had bubbling just under the surface. She stood for a long time staring at him before she decided that he was the girl's father above all else and she'd be civil enough to him, providing he didn't cross any lines.

So, she would ignore him.

"You two all set?"

"Why do you have to be such a butt?"

"Caro -" Andy sighed. "Let it go, it's alright."

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm Miranda's assistant."

"Oh, you're the assistant. The one who dodges my calls."

"I don't dodge anything, sir," she said, overly polite. "Every call you make, I put through."

"Well, you -"

"STOP!"

Caroline's shout stopped everything and Andy turned around to find her eyes filling with tears.

"Why do you hate her so much. She's our Mom! I'm not going with you."

"Caroline, get in the car."

"NO!"

"Cass," Andy said gently. "Why don't you and your Dad wait in the car and Caroline will be along in a moment."

"I beg your -"

"Come on Dad."

"I -"

"Just, stop. It's not cool."

Cassidy's calm and no-nonsense demeanour threw him on the back-foot and he followed her as she pulled him away. Andy had to chuckle at how wrong she'd been initially about Cassidy. She was more like Miranda than she'd initially thought.

"Now," Andy said gently, kneeling in front of Caroline. "Deep breath."

"I hate him."

"No you don't. You're allowed to be annoyed or angry, but you don't hate him. He's your Dad. I get it," she said gently. "And if I was someone that mattered, I'd tell him to maybe keep that stuff away from you, but I'm not, so I'll just tell you that what goes on in grown-up life is sometimes really complicated. And I'm sorry you had to hear that, but you were so looking forward to this earlier, so why don't you go, so you don't miss out and tomorrow you can talk to your Mom about it. Okay?"

Caroline stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Andy's shoulders, hugging her tightly. It wasn't very usual for that to happen and Andy smiled against Caroline's hair as she hugged her back.

"You do matter," Caroline whispered. "To us. More than Dad."

"Go on," Andy muttered, not really sure what to make of that. "Off you go. Ignore him if he starts talking about your Mom and if you don't feel like saying anything, you don't have to. Go have fun with your sister, at the very least."

"Love you," she whispered, before running out of the door.

Cara closed it behind her and looked at Andy for a while before they burst out laughing.

"Holy hell, is he always like that?"

"He really is," Cara grumbled. "He's not yet realised that his disparaging comments hurt him and the girls as much as anyone else."

Cara helped her off the floor and they sat in the kitchen for a while, sipping coffee. There was soup bubbling on the stove, which told Andy that Cara would be here until it was done.

"Was he always an asshole?"

"I can answer that for you," Miranda muttered, joining them. "Yes. What happened?"

"He was an asshole," Andy shrugged, making Cara snort quietly. Miranda arched an eyebrow and looked at them.

"About me?"

"And about Andy," Cara said pointedly.

"It's fine. It's no bother. The girls heard though, so they weren't impressed. Caroline nearly didn't go."

"He is an idiot," Miranda hissed, squeezing Andy's arm. "Thank you. I will talk to them all."

Andy shrugged and the three women sat drinking coffee in the quiet kitchen until Cara declared the soup done and started ladling it out into portions.

"I suppose you're taking some of this?" she asked with a grin, looking over her shoulder at Andy.

"I'm -"

"Yes."

"Um," Andy looked between them. "Sure. Thank you."

Cara winked at her and Andy rolled her eyes, smiling at Miranda's arched eyebrow.

"You need to get ready."

"Andréa."

"I'm just saying," she grinned. "You'll be late."

"When has Donatella ever been on time?"

"Good point," Andy shrugged. "Sure you don't need me?"

"No," Miranda smiled. "Donatella wishes to introduce me to her new pet."

"That sounds -" Andy blushed and received a tea-towel to the face for her trouble.

"Andréa, get your mind out of the gutter. I am talking about a designer."

"Ah," Andy grinned. She knew that, of course. "Just checking. She seems -"

"Donatella is one of my oldest friends. Something about sharing the comradery of being a woman in a field dominated by men." She walked out of the kitchen, but Andy stayed put, accepting a small bowl of soup that made her groan appreciatively.

"If I could afford you, I'd steal you," Andy quipped as Cara laughed.

"You know I'd never leave them."

"That's fair," Andy shrugged. "Gotta try."

"Are you poaching my staff, Andréa?"

"I will always try," she grinned. "You look wonderful."

"I know," Miranda drawled, making Andy and Cara laugh. Andy followed Miranda out into the hall after dropping the bowl in the dishwasher.

"I've changed my mind," Miranda said as Andy joined her at the bottom of the stairs. "Come with me."

"Miranda," Andy rolled her eyes. "I'm not dressed and, as you said, she's your oldest friend."

"Nonsense. Wear what you are wearing. Actually," Miranda disappeared into the hall closet. "There. Wear that too."

She handed Andréa a coat that was beautifully soft.

"This is -"

"Nonsense, it's nothing."

"I -"

"Are we going, or not."

"Yes," Andy groaned. "Give me a moment and I'll fix my makeup."

"Do it in the car."

Andy rolled her eyes and followed.

"Yes, Miranda."

-0-

Dinner, as it turned out, was lovely. It wasn't often that Miranda turned on the charm anymore, but it was blinding as she wined and dined the new designer. Andy watched, knowing that was exactly why she was brought along before the table said goodbye to the new designer, leaving Miranda and Donatella Versace facing her.

"Donatella was just saying how well I look, Andréa," Miranda smirked. "I told her it was down to your magical powers."

Andy choked on her water and gave Miranda a look before turning to see Donatella smirking at her.

"I'm not sure that's quite how I would put it but yes. The office is working very well at the moment, we are doing great work and you," Andy said with a wry grin at her boss. "Know that."

"I do," Miranda said, squeezing Andy's hand. Apparently they'd had more champagne than Andy had thought."

They chatted for hours, Andy detailing her previous journalistic endeavours and her thoughts on where the print industry was going. Donatella, in turn, discussed her take on fashion and how the new concept of using sustainable materials was admirable, but there would never be a place for it in Haute-couture. Andy had bristled a little, but Miranda had taken her hand under the table and squeezed gently. She remembered at the last moment that this was Donatella Versace and she adjusted accordingly. The discussion went around and around for a while longer, with Miranda even putting her two cents in, before she called it an evening.

"Donatella, I'm afraid we will need to depart. We have a very busy day tomorrow in the lead up to Milan, I'm sure you understand."

"Of course," Donatella answered gratefully. "And thank you, Andréa, for being so gracious in listening to my antiquated views on fashion."

"I -" she frowned. "What?"

Miranda chuckled beside her.

"She was looking for a rise, darling," Miranda soothed her. "'Tella has been one of the loudest voices at Versace for moving towards sustainables."

"I -" Andy frowned. "Apologise."

"Don't," Donatella smiled. "It was fun. And I was cruel. You are an admirable opponent, Andréa. I have enjoyed our talk."

"I, as well," Andy said, still reeling. "Um. Good evening."

"Good evening," Donatella grinned. "And to you, darling."

Miranda and Donatella shared double air kisses and Miranda led them from the restaurant and to the waiting car that Andy had just called.

"Don't take her too seriously," Miranda said, once they were ensconced in the Towncar. "She likes to play with her food."

"Food?"

"You know what I mean," Miranda smirked. "You did do well though. I thought you were going to start debating the science of global warming at one point."

"She played me!"

"She did," Miranda smiled gently. "As I knew she would. Don't take it personally and learn from it."

"You did that on purpose, didn't you."

"I did," Mirana nodded. "Are you very upset with me?"

"Yes."

It was petulant and Miranda gave it the laughter it deserved.

"Too upset to invite me over to watch a film?"

"No."

Miranda laughed again and asked Roy to drop them at Andy's.

"Well," Miranda smirked as they got out of the car. "To make up for it, I'll allow you to pick the film."

"Thanks." Andy rolled her eyes. "We're watching one with guns in it."

Miranda's laughter echoed down the hallway as they arrived at Andy's door and she couldn't help but smile as Miranda moved inside like she lived there. Her bag went by the front door and her coat into the closet. She made use of the twin's bathroom, stealing some of Andy's make-up wipes to remove what she was wearing and settled on the sofa under the soft throw.

"Does it at least have some semblance of plot?" she quipped as Andy queued it up.

"Just watch the film," Andy grumbled, falling onto the sofa beside her and putting her feet up. It wasn't long before both of them yawned, even with the explosions rumbling in the background and Andy, in the last throes of consciousness, leant her head against Miranda's, already sleeping on her shoulder, and closed her eyes.